School Calendar

Students with particular needs

Outstanding educational opportunities for all, regardless of prior ability, are at the heart of our mission. We take a personalised approach, with each student at the centre of a personal learning plan. This helps us ensure that the needs of pupils with differing abilities and potential barriers are fully met. This focus on individual achievement drives our target setting and school improvement systems, the delivery of our curriculum and our approaches to behaviour, attendance and well-being.

We have access to a fully qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) linked to the Senior Leadership Team. An identified Governor will take lead responsibility for special educational needs on the Governing Body.

Special educational needs (SEN)

It’s very important that students with special educational needs are properly identified, assessed and supported and that the support is tailored to each child’s particular needs. In deciding what those needs are and how we can support the student to overcome any ‘barriers to learning’ arising from those needs, we will work closely with the student and his family. This 3-way partnership underpins all our work and is a major contributory factor to our success; it is essential in making sure that all students make the best possible progress whilst at Eden.

For a very small number of students with more complex and specialist needs, we may also call on the expertise and experience of specialists from outside the school. These may be people who work for the SEN specialist teams in the Local Authority or specialists in children’s issues in the Health service. For students who need this extra and more specialist input, we work in close partnership with these external partners as part of an “Education, Health and Care Plan”. This provides a detailed and properly coordinated plan of action to provide additional support to the student to enable them to benefit fully from their time in Eden. The plan is always drawn up in partnership with the student and parents and clearly identifies the contributions that each partner needs to make to help the student to progress in their learning. There are regular reviews of the progress that the student is making and the extent to which the Plan is working. Parents and students will have an important role to play in helping us to review and, if needed, improve the Plan.

For the majority of children and for most of the time, we provide support in class, as part of normal day-to-day lessons. As an inclusive school where every pupil is valued, we want all students to take a full part in all lessons and in every aspect of school life alongside their peers. Our teachers plan and deliver quality lessons that are well differentiated so the needs of all pupils are catered for and all pupils can benefit fully from them. Sometimes though, a pupil’s personalised assessment shows that they would benefit from additional one-to-one tuition or to work as part of a small group. If this is needed, then it is carefully planned by skilled teachers, and delivered with support from teaching assistants and learning mentors.

Visit Bolton Council’s Local offer, an online resource that details services, support and guidance to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25 and their families.

English as an additional language (EAL)

For students who are new to English, we provide a personalised learning plan that identifies their particular needs and details the additional support they will receive to help them improve their English and make progress in their studies. The plan is drawn up in partnership with the student and their parents. It highlights the key strategies that the school will use to help the student to learn, any additional activities (and programmes) the student should engage in at home and the way their progress will be monitored.

In drawing up plans for students with English as an additional language (EAL), we draw up the proven approaches used in other Tauheedul schools and on best practice from other schools. Our staff get training on the best approaches to support students with EAL and incorporate this learning into their lessons. Some students with EAL benefit from one to one tuition or small group work to help them to make more rapid progress in their English language development. If this is needed, we will consult with the student and parents to make sure it is well planned with clear objectives and timescales. The partnership with the student and parents is essential in helping students with EAL make the progress we want them to make so that, like all our students, they achieve their full potential.

Gifted and Talented students

We have very high expectations of all our students, staff and parents. We set ambitious progress and attainment targets for all our students based on their ability and prior attainment. We ensure that Gifted and Talented students are challenged and supported to excel, with stretching personalised targets in the classroom and tailored enrichment activities. Our approach enables Gifted and Talented students to play a full and active part in the life in of the school taking on leadership roles and experiencing special activities that will excite and challenge them. A member of the Senior Leadership Team takes specific responsibility for Gifted and Talented provision.

Other needs

From time to time, students may need access to additional support because of specific short-term issues. For example, if a student has had to deal with the bereavement of a close family member or friend, then they will need special emotional support. In these circumstances we will work closely with the family and other agencies to make sure that we provide the support the student needs to help them deal with their emotions and to enable them to continue to make progress in their studies.

For some students, issues in the home or other external matters can affect their attendance or behaviour in school. In these circumstances, the school provides intensive support to make sure they get the help and support they need to improve in these areas and to continue to succeed in their learning.

The school’s Tarbiyyah (nurturing) mentoring programme provides specialised, individual guidance for any young person in need. Sometimes the student and family need access to more specialist help. In these cases, we work in partnership with other agencies (the Local Authority, Health Services, voluntary organisations) to plan and provide this specialist support.

Behaviour

We expect everyone in the school to have the upmost respect for themselves, other students, staff and for the school itself at all times – Eden is a school where the main focus is on learning and it is everyone’s duty to contribute to a climate in which learning can happen.